Jiraiya

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"I'm sorry... we kept something hidden about what's going on here..." the man apologized to Yoru no Tsuki.

A six‑year‑old girl stood beside the couple, looking at them with a helpless expression.

Yoru no Tsuki waved a hand indifferently and said, "We already figured it out. You should get up first; the child got scared by both of you. Also, could you prepare a clean bed for me?"

Hearing that Yoru no Tsuki didn't blame them, the husband and wife were pleasantly surprised and hurriedly replied, "Yes, we'll get it ready right away!"

The couple quickly set up a clean bed. Yoru no Tsuki placed Itachi on it, while he himself sat at the bedside.

The scene felt oddly familiar. Six years ago, after being assassinated by Uchiha Sasuna, Itachi had also stayed by his bedside all night without sleeping.

"If Sister Izumi found out, she'd be heart‑broken for sure," Yoru no Tsuki guessed, looking at Itachi lying on the bed.

Izumi has since become a Jonin. Because of missions, she and Itachi rarely get to be together, but their bond has only grown tighter. Every time she returns from a mission, she makes a point of stopping by their house to see if Itachi is home.

Both of them are now seventeen or eighteen—an age where marriage is a realistic prospect in this world—yet they haven't even defined their relationship. Yoru no Tsuki felt a bit anxious for them.

An hour or two later, Shisui followed the markings Yoru no Tsuki left and arrived here.

"How's Itachi?" he asked as soon as he entered.

"It's still unconscious, but it doesn't look serious. He probably overused his Sharingan," Yoru no Tsuki replied.

"What about you, Shisui? Did you manage to track down Orochimaru and the others?"

"Sigh." Shisui sighed helplessly, then answered, "Orochimaru is too cunning. He'd already built an extensive network of underground chambers beneath Otogakure. When I pursued them, they all slipped into those chambers. The maze of passages is massive, and I'm unfamiliar with it, so I quickly lost their trail.

Moreover, Otogakure has become a hollow shell; almost all its shinobi have fled with Orochimaru. I did find the three remaining Uchiha defectors in the underground lab, but their eyes had been removed. With Uchiha Sasuna accounted for, only one Uchiha defectors remains at large."

Yoru no Tsuki had anticipated this outcome. He comforted Shisui, "It's fine we didn't catch them. After all, the Third Hokage surrounded Orochimaru with a massive ANBU force and still let him escape. Our situation is far more difficult."

The remaining Uchiha defectors must be the body Orochimaru now inhabits. He finally obtained the coveted Sharingan, but he still doesn't seem satisfied.

"You're right about that," Shisui scratched his head. "But you two brothers are truly astonishing—'genius' doesn't even begin to describe you.

I won't even mention Itachi. You've grown so fast; I remember the last time you came to see me you hadn't even mastered the Body Flicker Technique yet. I don't know the full extent of your abilities, but you already have the strength of an elite Jonin."

Shisui looked at the two brothers and felt a sense of unreality. The one on the bed, only seventeen, is already a shadow‑level powerhouse, while the one sitting at the bedside, just twelve, already possesses elite Jonin strength and a unique ability that can even clash with shadow‑level foes.

"Shisui‑senpai, aren't you the same? You must have obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan six years ago, right?" Hearing Shisui's praise, Yoru no Tsuki smiled and retorted.

Shisui ruffled his hair. He had told Fugaku about activating the Mangekyō, so Shisui probably learned it from that.

"After calculating, let's not brag about each other—it's starting to sound like mutual flattery."

Like Itachi, Shisui didn't probe where Yoru no Tsuki's abilities originated.

A while later, Itachi woke up. After confirming he was fine, the four of them headed back to Konohagakure.

Outside the Hokage's Office

Yoru no Tsuki and his group hadn't even opened the door when they heard a hearty laugh from inside.

"Hahaha! I've finally seen that kid Naruto. Hmm, his talent's impressive—just a step away from being on my level back then."

Hearing that voice, Yoru no Tsuki instantly guessed who was inside.

"Sasuke?"

At that moment, someone called out to Yoru no Tsuki.

He turned his head and saw Naruto walking toward them. They must have just finished a mission and were now on a break.

"Oh, it's Naruto. You came here because..." Yoru no Tsuki greeted him, while Itachi knocked on the Hokage's office door.

"I don't know either. My dad told me to come, said I'd meet someone, but he didn't tell me who," Naruto replied.

Creak, the office door swung open, revealing an elderly man with white hair.

Naruto's eyes widened. He pointed a trembling right hand at the man and shouted, "It's you! The perverted sage who peeked into the women's bathhouse! How did you end up here?"

In front of everyone, Jiraiya—caught out—hugged Naruto and pulled him away.

"Even after meeting me once, you can't remember my name? I'm the Toad Sage!"

Jiraiya jabbed his fist lightly against Naruto's head, then coughed twice and addressed Yoru no Tsuki and the others, "Ahem, you're here to report to Minato, right? Please, come in."

Seeing Jiraiya, Yoru no Tsuki felt a surge of excitement. He'd always admired Jiraiya while watching the Hokage series, and now he was meeting the real person.

"I never expected Lord Jiraiya to have returned to the village. Thank you."

Shisui thanked Jiraiya, and the four of them entered the Hokage's office. Jiraiya, with ill intent, led Naruto out of the office—reporting a mission required the others to stay out of sight.

"You perverted sage, what are you up to? If you keep this up, I won't be polite!"

Naruto struggled constantly but couldn't break free from Jiraiya's grip.

Inside, Minato saw the scene, rubbed his forehead with a sigh of helplessness, and, intending to intervene, sat down when Yoru no Tsuki entered.

Behind Minato stood Shikaku Nara and Yamanaka Ino.

"Shisui's back too. How did things go this time?" Minato asked with a gentle smile.

"I tracked down five more Uchiha defectors. Four of them, including Uchiha Sasuna, are dead. We brought their bodies back, but we couldn't catch the last one," Shisui reported.

"Did something happen?" Minato inquired.

"We found Orochimaru there..."

English text.Bang! The Hokage's office door was suddenly thrown open.